'Inspirational' McKenna can cement Scotland place, says McInnes

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes believes the "inspirational'' Scott McKenna has everything needed to hold onto the Scotland jersey the way he has with Aberdeen.

McKenna continued his rapid rise with good performances for Scotland against Costa Rica and Hungary over the past week.

The 21-year-old's international debut came just a year after he struggled to break into the Ayr United team as they faced relegation from the Championship.

The centre-back returned from his unhappy loan spell to transform his fortunes with the help of an impressive showing for Scotland Under-21s and a winning recall to the Aberdeen team at Motherwell in September.

And McInnes has been most encouraged by the way McKenna refuses to rest on his laurels.

"Sometimes a lot of youngsters up and down the country in different clubs get into the first-team environment, whether it's off the bench or a couple of starts, and they almost take a breath and think 'this is good','' said the Dons boss ahead of the Ladbrokes Premiership visit of St Johnstone.

"But to actually come in and cement a place and establish himself like Scott isn't always the norm and it's that bit more of a challenge.

"Scott came into the team and grabbed his chance and he is determined not to let anybody get his shirt. He has shown that over the past six months, he has been flawless.

"He has got a sniff of it and he wants to stay there and he now has a sniff of the international set-up. Without pre-empting anything, he has done himself no harm of being involved in future squads.

"Some youngsters physically aren't ready to play week in, week out. Scott clearly is with all the good work he has done in the gym and off the pitch.

"For a lot of our youngsters, it must be an inspiration to see Scott McKenna come in and absolutely establish himself in the team. We all like to see young players coming through, and to see him going straight into the international set-up is inspirational for all our youngsters and it shows what can be done.''

McKenna was joined by Pittodrie team-mates Ryan Christie and Kenny McLean on the pitch in Budapest on Tuesday.

"Scott McKenna has been a real positive ion the last two internationals and a lot has been said about him but but Kenny and Ryan have been in and around it and it was great to get them on the pitch,'' McInnes said.

"I'm glad there are players doing their bit representing Aberdeen and hopefully there's more to come in the future.

"I know Kenny and Ryan will be away at the end of the season but I feel Aberdeen have played a big part in their development and I do believe that they will be permanent fixtures in there.

"I've got others here who I think should be motivated by that to show it should be them next time round.'